Monday, 3 December 2012

Advantages of Windows 8

When was the last time you had to reinstall your operating system? Some people have noticed fewer rebuilds in Windows 7 then they had to perform with earlier versions of Windows.
It seems that the more recent the operating system, the less you have to reinstall it. The improvements in the OS help to prevent programs, and also users, from adversely affecting the PC’s performance. Still, entropy creeps in and the occasional OS repair is just a part of life for many of us.
This article shines a light on what hopefully is a very rarely used feature of Windows 8 - the Advanced Startup Options.

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From such humble beginnings

Earlier Windows versions had fewer startup options: There was Safe Mode and VGA mode, and you could enable boot logging or debugging mode. There was also the Last Known Good Configuration.
Safe Mode is still a great idea - load up only the most basic set of hardware drivers. Since so many software problems can be traced back to a faulty or incompatible hardware driver, the ability to turn them all off is still a hugely valuable troubleshooting technique.
Debugging Mode is beyond what most users do to repair their system. It’s great for engineers, but requires too much training to be used by regular PC users.
Using the Last Known Good Configuration was a great idea, too. The concept was simple - if the settings make it all the way to the end of the session, they must have worked. Save them and call them “Last Known Good”. It was a step in the right direction.

By Windows 7, the Advanced Startup was getting really good

The Advanced Boot Options for Vista and Windows 7 was even better. You could change your PC to no longer reboot automatically after a system crash right from the startup options.
And in addition to the original options, you could now run Memory Diagnostics, System Restore, and even automatically repair many common problems from the advanced startup options.

Windows 8 Advanced Startup Options are the best they’ve ever been

It all starts with a start. And when your computer isn’t running right, you’ll really appreciate just how advanced the new advanced startup options are for Windows 8.

Refresh and Reset go beyond System Restore to either a nearly clean slate, or a completely clean slate
Refresh and Reset are the first two options. They are brand new, and they have gotten quite a lot of attention the newest features in the advanced startup menu.
Refresh is a heavy duty cleaning of your computer - but leaves your personal data intact. It also removes programs in the classic desktop mode. However, you keep the Metro programs that you installed from Windows Store.


Personalization settings (desktop background, screen resolution, picture password) are kept. PC Settings (network settings, hardware drivers, windows features) are removed or set to defaults.
Reset is the equivalent of doing a factory reset. It brings your computer back to the way it was when you got it, or at least when it was new. All programs have to be reinstalled, and your personal data is gone, too. You’ll need to backup any data that you’ll want to keep before doing this and Windows 8 gives you very clear warnings about what’s about to happen to your data if you proceed.

In fact, you’re actually given two options when you’re doing a Reset. You can either remove the files, or you can remove the files and “scrub the hard drive”, making it more difficult for somebody to recover the deleted files. If you’re planning on reinstalling programs and continuing to use the computer, choose the fast method. If you’re selling or giving away your computer to charity, then choose to fully clean the drive.

Even more advanced options in Windows 8 Advanced Startup

Besides Refresh and Reset, there are other advanced options available in the Windows 8 Advanced Startup Options.

System Restore puts the PC settings back to the way they were at the last Restore Point

Restore Points are taken by the system before installing security and software updates. So after having your PC in operation for a while, you’ll have plenty of System Restore Points. This puts the settings back to the way they were, but it does not change any of your personal data. Personal data (pictures, documents, music, and videos, for example) are neither backed up nor restored during a system restore.

System Image Recovery is a full restore from a backed-up System Image File

If you want a more customized restore option - one that can restore your operating system as well as installed programs, then a System Image Recovery is the ideal way to go. However, you’ll need an image to be used for the restore. This is usually done by organizations to deploy PC’s with all of their standard software installed. Most home or home office users will choose to do a Refresh or a Reset to handle their reimaging.

Automatic Repair Fixes a lot of problems for you

There are many issues that can keep your computer from starting up correctly - a misconfigured setting, or a hard drive that has a file error on it. This startup option scans for hundreds of files and settings, and if it finds a problem with one of them, it takes corrective action. No further input required. This is a big improvement over restoring the Last Known Good Configuration, and it’s much more helpful.

Command Prompt when you just need to have a little access

Sometimes all you need to do to fix a problem is to get to the command line. From there, you can run commands like NBTSTAT and IPCONFIG to help troubleshoot and repair the system.

Startup Settings includes all of the original Advanced Repair Options like Safe Mode

Engineers still need debugging mode, and sometimes reimaging, refreshing, or resetting is not the right fix. Safe Mode, Debugging Mode and Low Resolution Mode are still available from the “Startup Settings” section of the Advanced Startup Options menu.

Bottom line


While they usually go unnoticed, the advanced startup options are always available to you. And though we can forget that they’re there until we need them, when we do need them they become very important.
The Advanced Startup Options in Windows 8 keeps all of the old favorites like Safe Mode and Debugging Mode, and adds in several new features that give some great options for fixing your PC yourself without having to take it in for costly repairs at a service center or calling the corporate help desk.

Obama Winning Secret

To paraphrase the traditional Passover formulation honored in Jewish homes: why was this election different from all other elections? What makes 2012 stand out in recent political history, either as a temporary anomaly or a significant, long-term shift in the electorate?
Politics of Truth
In this Oct. 3 file photo combo, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama speak during their first presidential debate at the University of Denver. (David Goldman; Eric Gay / AP Photo)
The most striking change in the results this year involved a precipitous and alarming decline in voter participation, a drop-off that stemmed from a deliberate strategy by the Obama campaign and almost certainly provided the president with his margin of victory. Meanwhile, much of the conventional wisdom about the results has been fatuous and unsubstantiated, ignoring the troubling reality of disillusioned voters.
For instance, there’s no basis for the common claim Obama won through a superb, unprecedented, supremely effective get-out-the-vote effort by the Democrats. Even downcast Republicans have hailed the opposition’s turnout operation as magnificent, but they fail to note that it resulted in far fewer voters showing up for President Obama.
The president drew 7.6 million fewer votes than he did in the hope-and-change election of 2008. His vote total, 61,911,000, is far closer to the numbers in Sen. John Kerry’s losing bid in 2004 than to his own triumphant support four years ago. Even the reviled President George W. Bush earned more raw votes, from a much smaller potential electorate, in his own reelection bid than Obama did in his.
It’s also not true that a powerful surge of new black and Latino support powered the president to victory. Exit polls showed that Obama got a slightly smaller percentage of the black vote than last time and that turnout was sharply down, delivering at least 1.5 million fewer African-American ballots for the Democrats. A slightly enlarged Latino electorate and an increase in the president’s percentage of Hispanic voters, to 71 percent from 67 percent, did provide him an additional 700,000 votes, but the falloff in black support still meant that overall “minority votes” for Obama went down, not up.
As to the claim that Obama pulled out a win in this highly competitive election cycle by building up his backing among working-class whites in Ohio, Wisconsin, and other key battlegrounds, the evidence shows the president losing, not gaining, ground with this badly battered segment of the population. Among white voters overall—still 72 percent of total ballots, down from 74 percent in 2008—Obama lost to Mitt Romney in a devastating landslide, 59 percent to 39 percent. Four years ago, he also lost the white vote, but by a far more modest margin of 12 percentage points rather than the 20-point blowout this year. Compared to his Election Day performance in 2008, Obama lost more than 7 million white votes.
How, then, did the president manage to prevail over a confident, well-funded, united opposition at a time of economic anxiety and 7.9 percent unemployment?
He and his supporters succeeded in discouraging and disillusioning the Republican and independent voters Romney needed for victory. In post-election comments, GOP strategist Karl Rove argued that the Obama campaign succeeded by deliberately “suppressing the vote,” a response to Democratic accusations of Republican “voter suppression” schemes. Although most opinion leaders dismissed Rove’s observation as the sour grapes whining of a notably sore loser, it’s impossible to argue with his numbers: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan drew 1.3 million fewer votes than the allegedly hapless ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin.
Given the undeniable fact that some significant number of voters who backed Obama last time switched their support to Romney in 2012, helping to produce the president’s 7.6 million decline in support, several million Americans who cast ballots for McCain-Palin four years ago must have chosen to stay home for this election.
The Democratic investment in negativity may have helped Obama win his bare majority of a radically shrunken electorate, but it also contributed powerfully to the sour national mood.
The numbers generally produce puzzled and disbelieving reactions from GOP strategists and activists. Throughout the campaign, the same pollsters who accurately called the final state-by-state results also reported on a consistent enthusiasm edge for Republicans. By a significant margin, GOP voters described themselves as more excited and more energized by the prospect of voting than their Democratic counterparts. That advantage led nearly all of the most prestigious conservative pundits to defy pollsters who predicted a narrow Obama victory and to argue that a more motivated and enthusiastic Republican base would turn out in big numbers and carry the day on Nov. 6.
After all, Romney became a far more unifying candidate than McCain, with leaders in every faction of the party—including Ron Paul’s son, Sen. Rand Paul—campaigning for him across the country. Moreover, Ryan inspired the party’s conservative core much as Palin did, but without generating questions from the press or public about his seriousness on the issues or his preparation for national leadership.
In the end, the enthusiasm edge may have helped drive right-wing true believers to the polls in disproportionate numbers, and self-described conservatives outnumbered acknowledged liberals by 35 percent to 25 percent, according to exit polls. But this advantage couldn’t compensate for the no-show status of Republican-leaning independents, who contributed to the overall shrinkage of the electorate. Curtis Gans, director of American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate, noted that figures from every state but Iowa showed a smaller turnout than in 2008. “This was a major plunge in turnout nationally,” he declared, predicting a total number of ballots similar to the Bush-Kerry race of 2004, despite a rise in 20 million in the voting-age population.
For the Romney team, this falloff in participation represents a special frustration, given the vastly increased monetary investment in their campaign compared with the McCain effort, which could be the last ever general-election campaign to accept federal funds, along with their accompanying financial restrictions.
With the unprecedented levels of spending by both sides in this election cycle, totaling more than $6 billion for all races at all levels, how could it be that far fewer voters cast ballots?
The sad reality is the lavishly funded ad campaigns worked as intended. A report from the Wesleyan Media Project suggests that an astonishing 86 percent of all campaign commercials by the Obama campaign and allied groups featured negative messages about Romney. These attack ads aren’t supposed to inspire your people to go to the polls; they’re meant to dissuade the other guy’s supporters from going to the polls. The purpose of negative advertising is to discourage, not encourage, voting.
The advertising avalanche by the Democrats highlighted Romney’s wealth, offshore bank accounts, job-exporting background at Bain Capital, expensive Olympics horse, bad singing voice, mistreatment of his dog, unpublished tax returns, murder-by-cancer of a steelworker’s wife, and general heartlessness and cluelessness. The Obama team knew full well that such messages would never persuade committed partisans to switch support from the Republicans to the Democrats and could even alienate a few of their own backers, particularly women, with their overall nastiness. But if the ugly tone of the campaign kept right-leaning independents or even undecided voters away from the polls then it would be worth it, shrinking the field of potential recruits Romney needed to close the gap and win the election.
In short, the impact of such an unpleasant campaign almost always will prove more damaging to a challenger trying to attract new votes than to an incumbent who needs only to hold on to the bulk of his old base. In this election, the lower overall turnout clearly helped Obama. The president got a smaller share of the vote in 48 of 50 states, everywhere except Hawaii and Mississippi, but he retained enough support in the diminished electorate to hang on to the White House. Lacking any confidence that they could reinspire cynical, disillusioned citizens about the glories of hope and change or the president’s heroic first-term achievements, the Obama high command settled for producing a general distaste for both candidates and even for the political process itself.
I visited Ohio the week before the election for a Cleveland town-hall meeting to generate enthusiasm for the Romney-Ryan ticket. The universal complaint from people on the ground in that crucial and advertising-saturated swing state involved thoroughgoing disgust, even rage, at the way nasty attack ads had taken over all the networks and cable outlets. The negativity couldn’t discourage the conservative activists who came out by the thousands to participate in our event, but it’s easy to see how the nasty tone might lead others to turn off the tube altogether and to tune out a political season that had turned unspeakably petty and bitter.
This Democratic investment in negativity may have helped Obama win his bare majority of a radically shrunken electorate, but it also contributed powerfully to the sour national mood and to the widespread perception that the neither of two flawed candidates offered the nation an optimistic path forward. Worst of all, the apparent success of this strategy makes it increasingly likely that future campaigns will follow the Obama example and pursue victory by alarming and discouraging, rather than inspiring and motivating, the already gloomy populace of a preternaturally pessimistic nation.
With pundits already prognosticating over potential candidates in 2016, when both parties will face wide-open nomination fights, it’s not too early to suggest a radical approach that could help one of these contenders stand out. If a major candidate committed from the beginning of his or her campaign to forgo attack ads in both the primary process and the general election, and instead pledged to concentrate on laying out a positive vision for change, that optimistic leader might help energize the cynical and disillusioned segments of media and the masses. It’s even possible that such a candidacy could serve to mobilize some of the 100 million(!) eligible voters who declined to take part in the substantive, dramatic, but ultimately dispiriting election of 2012.

Sunday, 21 October 2012

Getting Started: Your Guide to Windows 8




windows8laptopsdan01_610x436
 
 Back in 1991, Microsoft released their first version of Windows, a mouse-driven graphical user interface that revolutionized the way we use computers, both at home and in the workplace.
Microsoft's newest operating system has a whole new interface and loads of new features. Windows 8 introduces a new type of application: the Windows Store app. Windows Store apps have a brand new look and feel, run on a variety of devices, and you sell them on the Windows Store.
Here is a quick Guide for getting up to speed quickly and getting the most out of Windows 8. Whichever device you end up running Windows 8 on, you'll need to know a few things.
  1. How are you going to get the data from your current operating system to the new one?
  2. You'll probably be wondering where the famous Microsoft desktop has gone.
  3. You might be wondering just what is going on: why did Microsoft discard the Start menu, and why does its replacement look like it was designed for children?

Thursday, 23 August 2012

Top 10 Make over Tips

10. Fabulous Haircut

No makeover can be called complete without a hairstyle change. Go for a cut that you have never tried before, preferably, way different from your current style. You will amazed at how instantly and effortlessly a great haircut can dramatically change your look! Summer is a time to be a free spirit – so go for a cut that is low maintenance and keeps you looking young and fresh.

9. Toss Heavy Make-up

Summer is the time to let loose and not be worried about your make up running down your cheeks or getting wiped with your sweat. The one thing your skin needs is sunscreen. Anything other than that is optional. I am not saying your should go completely sans makeup. But try to keep it really minimal.
My suggestion would be to apply sunscreen and light powder to even out your skin tone. It also helps if your sunscreen is greasy or sticky, which is often the case with higher SPF ones.

8. Swap your drinks

You need your daily cuppa, but do you need it hourly? Depending on how many you drink, replace one of your caffeine shots that includes coffee, tea and cola with juice (Vitamin C), green tea (antioxidants), and a yoghurt smoothie (calcium). Keep a one-litre bottle of water around you at all times. Finish it by the end of your work day. Drink another at home.

7. Sunscreen – A Summer Essential!

I cannot stress this enough! No matter how little you think your exposure to the sun is going to be, NEVER skip the sunscreen. Depending on your skin tone, texture and activity level you may choose anything between SPF 20 and SPF 70. If you have normal skin and medium complexion you SPF 30 is the minimum you need and you can go beyond SPF 70 on your beach days. Make sure you choose waterproof formulas for the beach. Don’t apply moisturizer before applying sunscreen – it diminishes the protection offered by sunscreen. If your skin is too dry, choose a moisturizing sunscreen. Don’t limit it to your face – use sunscreen on all the exposed skin and reapply as needed.

6. Keep your eyes young

The thin skin around your eyes is where you’ll see the first signs of ageing (puffy eyes, dark under-eye circles and lines). Check for food allergies, salt (an excess can lead to water retention) and water consumption (even a little less shows). Smoking, sinus, and lack of sleep (less than seven hours) add up. Always apply eye cream with your ring (third) finger as its the weakest so you dont put too much pressure on the delicate skin. Pat it in, dont rub.

5. Look Terrific in Serious Shades

Sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection are a must for the blazing summer afternoons. I would suggest you go a step further and buy polarized sunglasses. They protect your eyes against the sunlight reflecting from water, shiny metals or glass surfaces. The quality of your vision also improves dramatically as they provide better contrast. You will especially appreciate the difference when you are on the beach or out driving on a hot summer day – you will experience no squinting and your eyes will feel rested even after a long day under the sun.
Contrary to what most people think, polarized glasses don’t command a premium. In fact, you will be surprised to know it’s very difficult to find polarized version of the designer sunglasses. So, I am not asking you to go all out and splurge.

4. Start some vitamins

A regular multivitamin is required for healthy skin, hair and nails. The change of season is the right time for oil-based vitamins, says Delhi-based dermatologist Dr Shehla Agarwal. Start with Vitamin A once a day for 30 days to take care of dry skin and follow it up with Vitamin E for a month to get a glow in the winter. There are several antioxidant tablets available to help with anti-ageing. Check with your doctor.

3. Cut down sugar

The food diary helps you balance your meals but remember to be extra vigilant about sugar. The calories from sugary foods are worse than the calories from fatty foods, as they lead to an unregulated metabolic rate, says Hyderabad-based fitness expert, Dinaz Vervatwala. Cut down on the consumption of sugar and refined foods permanently. You should only be eating them 20 percent of the time in a month. Sugar can cause premature ageing as it can trigger a breakdown of collagen and elastin. It also makes your skin more sensitive to the sun, the prime cause of ageing.

2. Smooth Hair-free Body

It’s time to let you skin see the light of the day and get some fresh summer breeze. And when you do wear short dresses, sleeveless tops or bikinis, you want to make sure your body looks silky smooth and there is no unwanted hair growth acting as an eye sore!
One thing that can turn painful during summer is the thought of having to shave your legs every day or even every other day! Make a resolution this summer to stay away from razors. Try an epilator for incredibly long lasting results that’s also easy on the pocket. Plus the epilator can be used for your arms, under arms, bikini area and even face – so no more spending time and money at the salon for any kind of hair removal. You can use it at the convenience of your home and stay hair-free for weeks!

1.Start your anti-ageing now

Experts advise that you start using anti-ageing products as early as your mid-20s. So if you havent as yet, start today! Good choices include the Ponds Age Miracle or Gold Radiance ranges. Prioritise sunscreen; it goes a long way in fighting wrinkles. Pick a broad spectrum product with active agents such as Avobenzone and Mexoryl for UVA rays, and zinc oxide and titanium dioxide for UVB rays. Use the sunscreen on your hands, feet, ears, neck, and the back of your neck as well. Try Lakme Sun Expert SPF 30 (Rs 250; 100ml) or Neutrogenas Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 50 (RS 450), which glide on without a hint of oiliness.

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Features


Enhance your creativity and boost your productivity. Adobe® Photoshop® CS6 Extended software delivers blazingly fast performance with the new Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine, groundbreaking new Content-Aware tools, simplified 3D artwork creation, reengineered design tools, and more.*
Content-Aware Patch : Patch images with greater control using Content-Aware Patch, which allows you to choose the area that Content-Aware will use to create your patch.
Mercury Graphics Engine : See near-instant results when you’re editing images with key tools such as Liquify and Puppet Warp, creating 3D artwork, and working with matte paintings and other large files.*
3D performance boost : Experience enhanced performance throughout your 3D workflows. View shadows and reflections in all editing modes, quickly render final work in Adobe RayTrace mode thanks to the Mercury Graphics Engine, and much more.*
3D controls at your fingertips : Use a vastly simplified user interface to intuitively create and animate 3D artwork. Use in-context and on-canvas controls to manipulate cages for 3D extrusions, change the orientation of scenes and objects, edit lights, and more.*
New and reengineered design tools : Create superior designs faster. Get consistent formatting with type styles, use vector layers to apply strokes and add gradients to vector objects, easily create custom strokes and dashed lines, quickly search layers, and more.
New Blur Gallery : Quickly create photographic blur effects using a simple new interface with on-image controls. Create tilt-shift effects, blur everything and then sharpen one focal point, or vary the blurriness between multiple focal points. The Mercury Graphics Engine delivers immediate results.*
All-new Crop tool : Crop images faster and with greater precision using the all-new, nondestructive Crop tool. Manipulate your images on canvas, and take advantage of the Mercury Graphics Engine to see your adjustments happen live.*
Modern user interface : Work with a fresh, elegant interface featuring dark background options that make your images pop, and benefit from hundreds of design touches that create a smoother, more consistent editing experience.
New reflections and draggable shadows : Quickly achieve 3D realism by adding and enhancing shadows and reflections on your ground plane. Drag a shadow to reposition the light source, and easily edit ground reflections, shadows, and other effects.*
Intuitive video creation : Bring Photoshop image editing power to your videos. Easily enhance any clip using the full range of familiar Photoshop editing tools, and combine clips and stills with transitions, audio, and effects such as pan and zoom.
Background Save : Keep on working even while saving the largest of Photoshop files in the background — a performance improvement that can help your productivity soar.
Auto-recovery : Let the auto-recovery option work behind the scenes to save your edits without interrupting your progress. A copy of your work is saved every 10 minutes and recovered in the event of an unexpected shutdown.
Easy alignment and distribution of 3D objects : Create rich 3D scenes in less time now that you can automatically align 3D objects to the vanishing point in your image and manipulate a group of 3D objects at one time using a new multiselect option.*
Dozens of user-inspired improvements : Save time with more than 65 new creativity and productivity enhancements that originated as suggestions from Photoshop users via Facebook, Twitter, and more.
Preset migration and sharing : Easily migrate your presets, workspaces, preferences, and settings so you can experience Photoshop in the same way on all your computers, share your setup, and bring your customizations from past versions into Photoshop CS6.
Content-Aware Move : Move or extend a selected object to another area of your image, and then watch as Content-Aware Move magically recomposes and blends the object for a stunning visual result.
Revolutionary erodible brushes : Draw more naturally and realistically using drawing tips that erode as you work. Endlessly wear down and sharpen a charcoal pencil or pastel to create different effects, and save favorite blunted tips as presets.
New painting presets : Simplify painting with new presets that offer a good starting point for creating realistic painting effects.
Scripted Patterns : Generate geometric pattern fills faster with Scripted Patterns.
Enhanced 3D animation : Animate all 3D properties — including cameras, lights, materials, and meshes — using the Animation timeline. Final rendering performance is now much improved during export of your 3D animation.*
Flexible render modes for shadows : Work more fluidly now that you can preview shadows in both GL and Adobe RayTrace render modes.*
Accurate 3D object merge : Accurately merge multiple 3D objects in a single scene so they can interact with the same lighting and cameras.*
Alternate views : Easily view your 3D artwork from multiple angles while editing.*
3D stereo viewing and printing : Easily import common stereo formats, such as JPS and MPO, into the 3D pipeline, and make simple adjustments to set depth and range. View a stereo image on stereo monitors or TVs, or print it as a lenticular 3D image.*
Adobe Flash 3D export : Easily export 3D artwork in Adobe Flash® 3D format for viewing in web browsers. Also export 3D artwork assets for use in Adobe Flash Builder® software (sold separately).*
3D sketch and cartoon presets : Click once to give your 3D objects the look of sketches or cartoons, and automatically create sketch presets by creating any brush stroke.*
Improved 3D extrusion engine : Create stunning 3D logos and artwork from any text layer, selection, path, or layer mask with the improved 3D extrusion engine, which offers faster editing, on-canvas controls, and better beveling options.*
Type styles : Save time and ensure a consistent look with type styles, which let you apply formatting to selected characters, lines, or paragraphs of text with a single click.
Vector layers : Use vector layers to apply strokes and even add gradients to vector objects.
Sharper vector rendering : Get sharper rendering by clicking once to snap the edges of vector objects to pixels.
Custom strokes and dashed lines : Easily create custom strokes and dashed lines.
Layer search : Use layer search capabilities to quickly zero in on the layer you need.
Lighting Effects Gallery : Get better performance and results with the new, 64-bit Lighting Effects Gallery. The plug-in is powered by the Mercury Graphics Engine and offers on-canvas controls and previews that make it easier to visualize your lighting enhancements.*
Oil Painting filter : Quickly give your work the look of a fine painting with the Oil Painting filter powered by the Mercury Graphics Engine. Control the style of your brush as well as the direction and shine of your lighting for a superior look.
Airbrush tips : Create realistic airbrush effects using fluid, lifelike controls and granular paint particles.
Brush enhancements : Paint more naturally by manually changing the rotation of your paint brush with your mouse. Dynamically resize your brushes with shortcuts, and take advantage of the Mercury Graphics Engine to fluidly adjust opacity or hardness.
10-bit deep color support : Get a more accurate representation of how your images will appear in film with 10-bit monitor support. See just the pixels you’ve captured, reduce or eliminate the need for dithering, and reduce contouring or banding.†
Support for 3D LUTs : Retouch images for film more easily with 3D lookup tables (LUTs) — including Adobe SpeedGrade™ .Look color LUTs — that you can turn on when you need to tweak raw color data.
OpenEXR transparency preferences : Choose whether you’d like to handle alpha channels in OpenEXR files as alpha channels or transparency.
Properties panel : Save time with a context-sensitive Properties panel that lets you make quick updates to the properties of your masks, adjustments, and 3D content.
Adobe Bridge CS6 : Manage your media faster — especially when working with large image files. Adobe Bridge CS6 offers cross-platform 64-bit support and a range of user interface and database enhancements.
Redesigned Adobe Mini Bridge : Access your images and documents more quickly and easily in Adobe Mini Bridge, redesigned as an elegant filmstrip.
New heads-up displays : Use heads-up displays to get greater precision when selecting and transforming objects and text.
Enhanced TIFF support : Work with a larger range of TIFF files. Enhanced TIFF support allows for greater bit depths and larger file sizes.
Automatic resampling : Get great results when resizing an image — the best resample method is automatically selected.
Filler text : Save time with the ability to insert “Lorem ipsum” filler text when working with type.
Increased maximum brush sizes : Edit and paint with brush sizes all the way up to 5000px.
System Requirements

* Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support
* Mac OS X v10.6.8 or v10.7
* 1GB of RAM
* 2GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system or on removable flash storage devices)
* 1024×768 (1280×800 recommended) resolution display with 16-bit color and 512MB of VRAM
* OpenGL 2.0–capable system
* DVD-ROM drive
Languages : English, Japanese
Homepage : http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopextended.html

Top 10 ways to say I Love You


1. Say it with flowers

Women love flowers (unless they are allergic) and surprising her with a bouquet of roses of lilies is an ideal way of saying ‘I love you’ without actually saying it. It wouldn’t hurt to write her a poem with that.

2. Hold Hands

Like hugging, holding hands is something that we often neglect to do when a relationship becomes cozy and familiar. Try taking your partner’s hand when walking down the street, or hold their hands across a table in a restaurant. Being in contact physically helps you feel closer emotionally. This is especially important if you need to talk through a difficult issue or problem. Holding hands can also be a visible demonstration of support if your partner is upset or feeling down.

3. Love letters

If you’re lucky enough to be with someone who has a deep appreciation for the English language, you might have to take your romantic vocabulary outside the standard I-love-you box

4. Give An Unexpected Gift

I’m sure you give your loved ones gifts on their birthday, at Christmas, and on special occasions like Valentine’s day. But how about bringing a gift completely at random? An unexpected present is a moment of pure joy for the recipient and the giver, and it needn’t be anything expensive. A few of their favorite chocolates, a small bunch of flowers, a book which you know they’ll enjoy … for a few dollars, you have the perfect way to say “I love you”.

5. Show friendship a little love

You probably say those magic words to your boyfriend, your mom—even your dog!—multiple times a day, but how often do you tell your best friend? Make sure she always knows how important she is to you with this set of three berry-scented candles.

6. Write A Poem

A time-honored way to say “I love you” is to write a poem. Try not to fall back on hackneyed phrases about their beautiful blue eyes or their rosy red lips; write about something that’s meaningful to you, perhaps that dimple on their chin, or the way they laugh at your jokes.

7. Surprise her

Once is a while, give her a surprise – something unexpected, out of the blue. Take her on a holiday, camping, to the movies or anywhere. A nice surprise is always a welcome surprise.

8. Make A Special Meal

If Friday nights usually mean ordering takeout, why not offer to cook for a change? Make a special meal for your partner (you don’t need an excuse for this – it doesn’t have to be Valentine’s day or an anniversary!) Include their favorite foods, take a few minutes to set the table, to light candles and put music on, and your usual forgettable evening slumped on the sofa can become a night to remember…

9. Compliment her

Tell her how nice her hair looks or compliment her dress. It’s a good way of assuring her that you still take notice of her.

10. Listen to Them

It’s easy to talk over people or to tune out most of what they’re saying whilst reading the newspaper or chatting online with friends. Listen actively to your partner – when they want to talk, put down what you’re doing, and focus all your attention on them. Listen for what they don’t say; unvoiced concerns or worries, or hints at what they’d really like. Nod and make eye-contact to show that you’re paying attention.

Top 10 Industries in The World


Top 10 Industries in The World

1. Wal-Mart

wal mart
Primary Industry: Retailing
Employees: 2,150,000
Headquarters: Bentonville, Arkansas, United States

2. Exxon Mobil

exxon mobil
Primary Industry: Oil and gas
Employees: 90,800
Headquarters: Irving, Texas, United States

3. Royal Dutch Shell

Royal Dutch Shell
Primary Industry: Oil and gas
Employees: 112,000
Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands and United KingdomLondon, United Kingdom

4. BP plc

BP plc
Primary Industry: Oil and gas
Employees: 97,600
Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom

5. Saudi Aramco

Saudi Aramco
Primary Industry: Oil and gas
Employees: 54,441
Headquarters: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

6. Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation
Primary Industry: Automotive
Employees: 316,121
Headquarters: Toyota, Aichi, Japan

7. Sinopec

Sinopec
Primary Industry: Oil and gas
Employees: 400,513
Headquarters: Beijing, China

8. Total S.A.

Total S.A.
Primary Industry: Oil and gas
Employees: 111,401
Headquarters: Courbevoie, Île-de-France, France

9. Samsung Group

Samsung Group
Primary Industry: Conglomerate
Employees: 277,000
Headquarters: Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea

10. Chevron Corp.

Chevron Corp.
Primary Industry: Oil and gas
Employees: 61,533
Headquarters: San Ramon, California, United States

VMware Cloud Learning Video's

Here is a nice summary list of all VMworld US 2018 Breakout session with the respective video playback & download URLs. Enjoy! Bra...